So you guys remember when I realized with horror that I was missing a whole chunk of comics? That night I sat down for a few hours and got to comparing the best places to fill my holes in the most economical way possible. Two of the places I hit were mainstays for me, with one newcomer. My experiences with all three have been amazing, so I thought I’d take a sec to pimp them as I would my bitches, were I in fact in possession of bitches to pimp.

First up is my regular comic shop, Things from Another World. Their local store was the first I tried when we moved up to Oregon ten years ago, and I’ve never had reason to try another. Their online store is pretty bloody amazing too, and their prices were consistently lower than anywhere else I was checking out. If you love trades, don’t overlook their nick and dent selection. I’ve bought from it several times and I swear I’ve yet to actually discover a single blemish or defect with any book. And hey, if you’re in the area, you can have them ship an online order directly to the store for free!

My second hit up last week was Lone Star Comics. Similarly low prices, but with the added bonus of lots of delicious back issues. What’s more, when I discovered I was an idiot and left something out of my order, customer service was fast and fantastic. I’ve ordered on and off from Lone Star for years, and they’re always one of my first stops when I’m on the prowl.

Third and finally, my newbies. I realized I’d totally spaced on getting Generation Hope pulled for me and couldn’t find a copy of #1 anywhere for anything close to a reasonable price. On a fluke I tried Amazon, which is where I found these folks: Comic Evolution (their Amazon storefront). Not only did they have it in NM for just a little over a dollar – a dollar, people – but they shipped it out first thing Monday morning, and the thing was packaged like it was expected to survive an atom bomb. I’ve ordered multi-hundred dollar computer parts with less secure packaging. A great experience with them, and given that they’re new kids on the online comic block, I figured they deserved a big shout out.

If you’ve got a comic need that can’t be filled locally, consider giving these guys a shot.

Mm. I don’t have holes in my collection anymore. <contented sigh>

I spend much of my evening with a puppy sleeping on me while I tried out assorted demos on the XBox. The easy winner of the evening was Costume Quest. Instantly fun and engrossing. But I’ve now come over headachy and exhausted, always a fun combo.